The ever-impressive South Bay Area composer/trumpet magician, Eric Bolvin has definitely outdone himself on this latest project. NO BOUNDARIES, his follow-up to WORKIN' IT, his successful 2009 release, embraces a variety of cool, contemporary styles with one very important element in common… brilliant, seductive performances. The music ranges dynamically from the smooth, radio-friendly “Late Night Call” to everything from trip hop-Reggae (“El Gato Loco”) to funky electronica (“Knuckle Knows”), with side trips into chill, Latin, symphonica, if you will, and even the great American songbook. (Make sure you check out the new trance mix of “Workin’ It," it's “Panama Red” - which we are featuring on SmoothLounge.com Radio.) NO BOUNDARIES has been described variously as “genre-busting” and “pigeonhole defying.” I’ll add yet another term… creatively innovative! Eric Bolvin’s NO BOUNDARIES sets a new standard for jazz trumpet. Now watch for the copycats… they’re sure to follow. But just remember who got it all started!
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Three years ago I discovered the music of trumpeter Eric Bolvin through his album ‘The Night, The Rain and You’. I reviewed it for www.keysandchords.com. I wrote then that he handled a mixture of styles and technique, and came up with nice smooth jazz, also interesting to jazz purists. Well, now he’s back with his new release, and again it’s a genre defying album. As an independent musician he combines smooth jazz with daring escapades. For instance the opener ‘El Gato Loco’ is a dreamy trip that thrives on a easy going trip hop and reggae vibe. Like Bob Marley in a futuristic lounge environment. The radio friendly ‘Late Night Call’ draws us in and seduces us with it’s sexy atmosphere. I’m in for such a call! And on ‘Ano Nuevo’ he begins with a romantic tune that turns into a softly danceable Latin thing. With ‘Z-Mode’ he mixes a funky synthesizer undertone with a hip hop groove, and adds his trumpet on top of it. Very chilling! He returns to Latin sounds with ‘Cricket Dance’ adorned by percussion, harmonica and flamenco guitar. It makes me think of the Provence in the south of France where crickets make those kind of noises. ‘Knuckle Knows’ is something completely different as it thrives on a bubbling funky rhythm with some trumpet playing that reminds me of Herb Alpert. He then goes on with smooth jazz on ‘4th Street’, continues with the soft dreamy ballad ‘Darn That Dream’, and commands us out of our chairs with the slightly reggae sound of ‘Stand Up!’. ‘Easin’ The Pain’ has a blues flavor, while the trance mix of ‘Panama Red’ reworks his song from last year. It bounces on a hypnotic trip hop rhythm. ‘Waterways’ leans towards New Age with it’s relaxed setting, followed by the funky contemporary jazz of ‘Snails’. For ‘Sea Of Leaves’ we venture to the Far East in a meditative, New Age state that sooths our senses. Here Eric switches to the flute. Considering he wrote every track, did the arranging and producing, I can conclude that it’s a job well done. Versatile and yet ear friendly! 
Patrick Van de Wiele 
Smooth Jazz Europe
http://www.smoothjazz.eu/index4.php
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On No Boundaries, Eric Bolvin’s supremely eclectic, genre busting and pigeonhole defying follow-up to his 2009 release Workin’ It, the versatile veteran San Francisco based composer and trumpet master perfectly embodies a spirit all independent artists wish they could access. That is, instead of trying to tailor all their tracks to be as accessible and radio friendly as possible, he finds a unique way to mix the mainstream with the adventurous, creating a listening experience completely connected to the unexpected. He makes the transition easy, centering his vibe around a smoky toned B-flat trumpet while whipping up the delightfully melodic, easy grooving radio friendly “Late Night Call” to seduce us into the deeper experience. This romantic and sexy track has everything solid urban jazz needs these days to race to the top of the charts: an easy flowing coolly bubbling bassline, a thoughtful and graceful melody, soaring horn textures behind the lead melody line and sweet synth atmospheres. The gently charming “Late Night Call” is smack dab in the middle of a unique palette of musical pleasures that will challenge fans of this vibe to explore new musical territory with Bolvin.

“El Gato Loco” floats a dreamy, soulful trumpet melody over a lilting trip hop/reggae groove. “Z-Mode” funkily fuses symphonic synth textures and moody trumpeting with buoyant hip-hop bass grooves and infectious scratching. On the delightfully Latin flavored “Cricket Dance,” Bolvin surrounds his smoky horn with a dashing swirl of flamenco guitar, shuffling Latin percussion and harmonica sounds. He then trips lightly into new age and Eastern territory, creating the perfect ambient massage soundtrack with the flute-driven, nature sound enhanced “Sea Of Leaves.” 

Bolvin puts his trumpet aside in favor of harmonica and fiddle sounds while chilling on the front porch for the laconic bluesy Americana charm of “Easin’ The Pain”—which surely will! Getting a little more aggressive, but still chillin’ to some degree, he creates a funky electronic/lounge/chill out groove behind the bubbly hypnosis of a melody on “Knuckle Knows.” Fans of the trumpeter’s Workin’ It album will recognize his new, extended trance mix of “Panama Red” instantly; the track continues the bubbling chill vibe but includes fun horn blasts and a soothing synth melody. Bolvin wraps No Boundaries with “Ano Nuevo,” a piece he wrote to ring in 2010 that starts out as a romantic Latin ballad before evolving into a danceable, horn drenched jam that screams “Fiesta!” With unexpected twists and turns, the track is the perfect way to put a coda on this fascinating collection.        

--Jonathan Widran, Jazziz Magazine
Jazz Editor, Wine and Jazz Magazine
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